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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Jacksonville Bank Marathon Review 2013

On Sunday, I completed my first marathon in a long time. I was not planning on doing this marathon but my wife convinced me a few days before the event that we should do it. This meant no taper time from last weeks 24 mile run but the race is only about 5 miles from my best friend’s house in Jacksonville so it was not hard to convince me to do the race.
I love visiting him.

The night before the race, I treated my friend and his wife to dinner at Culhanes Irish Pub in Atlantic Beach, FL (near Jacksonville). This place is AWESOME! It was featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diner, Drive-ins and Dives” on the food network. It was also honorable mention as the best Irish Pub in America, top 10 restaurants in Jacksonville.

I got the “Fingle Fish Pie” (Fresh cod, shrimp, salmon, diced potatoes and peas in a garlic seasoned Parmesan cream sauce, crusted with cheddar cheese) and Bonnie got the “Guinness Beef Stew” (Certified Angus Beef braised in Guinness beer and slow cooked with barley, baby portabellas, carrots and onions in savory gravy. Served over diced potatoes.). Both meals were unbelievable. We also got the bread pudding and a beer or two for desert. It was a great pre-race meal. Bonnie had to roll me out of the place but I slept like a baby.

The race started on Sunday at 7:00 am. The forecast called for a 70% change of severe thunderstorms till around 3:00 pm. Not a good sign. The race temperature was in the mid 70s with humidity through the roof.

Thirty minutes into the race the rain started. Then about 10 minutes later the monsoon rains came down!! It rained pretty much the entire race. It varied on and off from sprinkling to monsoon throughout the entire race.

The race goes through some of the richest neighborhoods in Jacksonville, FL. You run through multi-million dollar neighborhoods with a ton of trees. It is an absolute gorgeous race.

The race was well supported. Every two miles there were aid tables and porta-potties. The aid stations have water, Gatorade, Power Gels (the typical aid stations). One of the house owners came out and was handing out margarita samples. I made it a point to stop both times at this “aid-station” and get my samples. :-)

I will be doing this race again next year. It was a ton fun and it was nice to stay at my best friend’s house.